It wasn't until the next day that Morgana left her cottage, even though she had heard the hoofbeats of their horses leaving the night before.
Which was why she was taken aback to see Merlin sat crossed legged in the centre of the clearing, daydreaming to himself as he stared off into space.
She almost withdrew again, but at the last moment she stopped herself. Regardless of everything else, he had defended her the day before and at the very least she could hear what he had to say.
Wordlessly, she walked over and sat in front of him.
They sat there in silence for a while, until eventually Merlin looked back at her.
"I've thought about it a lot, about the person you were when I arrived in Camelot. You were one of the first people I saw, watching an execution from your window with heartbreak in your eyes. I remember thinking that you were such a bright spot of good in such a dark moment." Merlin spoke slowly.
Morgana said nothing, listening quietly.
"And I understand hating Uther, I hated him too. But for the longest time, I couldn't understand your methods. I couldn't wrap my head around how someone so good, could become so dark."
"But you think you do now?" She whispered disbelievingly, although unaggressive, truly curious at his answer.
Merlin's eyes were teary as they met hers, "Was there a single person who didn't betray you?"
Morgana sucked in a sharp breath, feeling as though an immense weight was suddenly pressing down on her chest.
"Uther goes without saying. But Gaius hid what you are from you for years. Gwen betrayed you to Leon. Arthur turned his back. I poisoned you. And those are just the obvious ones. Regardless of the reasons for our actions, regardless of how right we believed we were, you were isolated and frightened. Each of us had so many opportunities to pull you back from the edge, but at each one we just pushed you a little closer."
Silence fell again for a long time, the sun dipped further towards the horizon before Merlin spoke again, "So I keep thinking, I think about Mordred and the woman who risked her life to save his. I think about Ealdor and the woman who defied her King and risked her life to defend it. I think of the woman who ran down the castle steps because she had a vision of Arthur's death, begging him not to go. And I understand where it all went wrong."
She didn't breathe as she watched him, his fingers clutching at the ground beneath them as though to anchor himself.
"You were the best of us, and we ruined you."